About that novel I wrote last month...

I said I'd talk more about it. So here are some things I can say about it:

• I'm rather fond of this novel.
• I'm rather fond of the characters in this novel.
• I'm rather fond of the setting and plot of this novel (a mystery party on a train from New York to San Francisco).
• This novel comes with fewer caveats than any of the other novels I've written so far. It feels right. It feels like I don't have to explain it. It is what it is, and I like what it is.
• I just want to keep working on it. I like working on it.
• I actually want people to read this novel. This novel is not too shy for company.

I just finished another Rainbow Rowell novel (Just finished. Ate it all up in two days. Set it down half an hour ago.). I went and rated it on Goodreads and then saw a message in my inbox about a recent Q & A session with the author, followed the link, and read the interview. One thing she said really stuck with me about the risk you take in writing things like novels for other people to read: "There's nothing safe about writing a novel; it's just too personal and too big. You have to put yourself out there."

She's right--it's a deeply personal experience. You write about the kinds of things you like, the kinds of people you like, the way you see the world, and someone could pick it up and just say "Eh...not my kind of thing," or worse, "Ugh, I can't stand this kind of drivel," and just think of how awful that would feel. It would feel like the people who don't like your work don't like a part of you. So the idea of setting your novel free, putting it out there for all the world to pick up and read or, you know, not, is kind of horrifying. It doesn't feel safe; it's horribly intimidating. But then there's also this other part in the interview:

When Attachments was first published in the UK, I flew to London to meet my editor there. (I didn't have to go, but I thought it would be so cool to see my book on the shelf in another country.) So I went to this Thai restaurant with my editor, and she told me that I didn't have to write books that everyone likes, that I shouldn't even worry about that. She said that having a writing career is about finding "your people," the people who specifically appreciate you. She said, "Your people are out there. You just have to hang in there while we find them." It was so encouraging at the time.

Finding your people. I think it's like that Lewisian description of friendship--

Friendship arises out of mere companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, "What? You too? I thought I was the only one." (The Four Loves)

I've lost count of the number of times I've experienced this kind of recognition while reading a book. The moments of "Ah! So I'm not the only one who thinks that! I'm not the only one who is like that!" This kind of mutual recognition is the force behind all fandoms in the modern world. "You love Sherlock?! I love Sherlock!" It can be a powerful, powerful thing. The idea of writing for that limited audience--your people--is comforting for those of us who are just starting out. We don't have to impress everyone. We just have to find our people.

The encouraging thing about this novel I'm working on is that I can actually imagine people beyond myself liking it. It wasn't an exercise in self discipline or a challenge to myself to see if I could even do it--to see if I was capable of writing a story, beginning to end. It was an idea I loved with characters that were right. It's a story with momentum and depth and growth. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think there are parts of it that are kind of hilarious.

I want to share my story with people. I am sharing my story with people. I'm cleaning up the first draft and sending it chapter by chapter to my writing group for critique (which is really intimidating, even if there's only five of them). I'm tidying the prose and picking up the pace. I'm helping get it ready to meet its people, whoever they are.

I know I haven't said a lot about what this book is about on this blog--I've been hesitant to post anything specific for fear of having to change it later. Sorry. Once I make a bit more progress on this second draft, I'm hoping to post my hook here, in case anyone's interested. The hook I wrote during NaNo is a little outdated--the whole story got a little bigger than I planned, which is an exciting problem to have. It just means I need to do a little integration and sweeping to tidy things up.

So there you have it. News from the front lines. Courage is winning the day, and anxiety is sounding a retreat. Glory, glory, hallelujah.


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